London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Saturday, Jul 26, 2025

Norwich Open Academy criticised over bra and skirt advice to girls

Norwich Open Academy criticised over bra and skirt advice to girls

A secondary school has been criticised over "misogynistic and sexist" advice to female students on school uniform.

Open Academy, Norwich, asked girls not to wear "very short skirts" or coloured bras to avoid receiving "unwanted comments or attention".

One parent said it perpetuated the idea that girls were to blame for being sexually harassed, and an expert said the advice was misogynistic and sexist.

The school said there was "no excuse" for "unwanted attention".

The uniform guidance was written by the school's safeguarding lead and sent out in a newsletter to parents.

It said there was "an increasing number of very short skirts in school" and warned they "can lead to others being able to see things they don't want to".

Female members of staff would ask students to "pull them down to a reasonable and safe length", it added.

The letter also asked parents to "speak to your girls about the colour of the bra they are wearing under their shirt".

"I would recommend wearing a white bra or crop top so that it is not visible through their shirt when they remove their blazer," it said.

It added: "If any of our students receive any unwanted comments about their dress we encourage them to come and speak to us so that we can ensure this is dealt with appropriately.

"We want to keep all of our students safe in school and hope that you can help us by ensuring they are in appropriate uniform."

The safeguarding lead said the school did not want students to receive any unwanted comments or attention


One parent, who did not want to be named, said it was "fine to have uniform guidance and rules" but she did not agree regarding the particular items mentioned in the letter.

"By highlighting bra colours I think they are putting the onus on the female students and perpetuating this culture that women and girls are to blame for being sexually harassed and assaulted because of the clothes they are wearing, rather than educating people that it's unacceptable to mention bra colour or whatever anyone else is wearing," she said.

Dr Jessica Taylor, director of consultancy and research firm VictimFocus, said: "What is dressed up as safety advice for girls, or uniform rules about skirts and bras, often intersects with traditional misogyny.

"Why are short skirts an issue if we don't sexualise girls' bodies? Why are coloured bras under white shirts an issue if we don't objectify girls' breasts? Why are short skirts and coloured bras an issue if boys are not sexually harassing their female students?

"Instead of dealing with the toxic sexualisation and objectification of girls in their schools... we find ourselves giving out misogynistic advice and creating sexist rules that only teach girls to blame themselves."

In a statement, Open Academy said: "We would like to be clear that whatever a student is wearing, there is no excuse for them receiving any unwanted attention or harassment and in hindsight we could have made this fact clearer in the guidance we issued."

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Deputy attorney general's second day of meeting with Ghislaine Maxwell has concluded
Controversial March in Switzerland Features Men Dressed in Nazi Uniforms
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
Thai Civilian Death Toll Rises to 12 in Cambodian Cross-Border Attacks
TSUNAMI: Trump Just Crossed the Rubicon—And There’s No Turning Back
Over 120 Criminal Cases Dismissed in Boston Amid Public Defender Shortage
UN's Top Court Declares Environmental Protection a Legal Obligation Under International Law
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
The Podcaster Who Accidentally Revealed He Earns Over $10 Million a Year
Trump Announces $550 Billion Japanese Investment and New Trade Agreements with Indonesia and the Philippines
US Treasury Secretary Calls for Institutional Review of Federal Reserve Amid AI‑Driven Growth Expectations
UK Government Considers Dropping Demand for Apple Encryption Backdoor
Severe Flooding in South Korea Claims Lives Amid Ongoing Rescue Operations
Japanese Man Discovers Family Connection Through DNA Testing After Decades of Separation
Russia Signals Openness to Ukraine Peace Talks Amid Escalating Drone Warfare
Switzerland Implements Ban on Mammography Screening
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
US Revokes Visas of Brazilian Corrupted Judges Amid Fake Bolsonaro Investigation
U.S. Congress Approves Rescissions Act Cutting Federal Funding for NPR and PBS
North Korea Restricts Foreign Tourist Access to New Seaside Resort
Brazil's Supreme Court Imposes Radical Restrictions on Former President Bolsonaro
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Judge Criticizes DOJ Over Secrecy in Dropping Charges Against Gang Leader
Apple Closes $16.5 Billion Tax Dispute With Ireland
Von der Leyen Faces Setback Over €2 Trillion EU Budget Proposal
UK and Germany Collaborate on Global Military Equipment Sales
Trump Plans Over 10% Tariffs on African and Caribbean Nations
Flying Taxi CEO Reclaims Billionaire Status After Stock Surge
Epstein Files Deepen Republican Party Divide
Zuckerberg Faces $8 Billion Privacy Lawsuit From Meta Shareholders
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
SpaceX Nears $400 Billion Valuation With New Share Sale
Microsoft, US Lab to Use AI for Faster Nuclear Plant Licensing
Trump Walks Back Talk of Firing Fed Chair Jerome Powell
Zelensky Reshuffles Cabinet to Win Support at Home and in Washington
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Irish Tech Worker Detained 100 days by US Authorities for Overstaying Visa
Dimon Warns on Fed Independence as Trump Administration Eyes Powell’s Succession
Church of England Removes 1991 Sexuality Guidelines from Clergy Selection
Superman Franchise Achieves Success with Latest Release
Hungary's Viktor Orban Rejects Agreements on Illegal Migration
Jeff Bezos Considers Purchasing Condé Nast as a Wedding Gift
Ghislaine Maxwell Says She’s Ready to Testify Before Congress on Epstein’s Criminal Empire
Bal des Pompiers: A Celebration of Community and Firefighter Culture in France
FBI Chief Kash Patel Denies Resignation Speculations Amid Epstein List Controversy
Air India Pilot’s Mental Health Records Under Scrutiny
×